Signal-governing apparatus



A. I. WOODRING.

SIGNAL GOVERNING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 0508, 1921.

Patented May 23, 11922..

jmvend A. f. Wood ring,

ALBERTO I. woonnrne, or warnnnoo, Iowa, ASSIGZN'OR TO THE a. I.woonn'nve 1 COMPANY, or warnnnoo, IOWA.

srornan-eovnnnrne APPARATUS.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Pmbgm pgd M 23 :1199) Application filedDecember S, 1921. Serial No. 520,918.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, ALBERTO I. VVOODRING,

a citizen of the United States of America,

and a resident of Waterloo, Blackhawk County, Iowa, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Signal-Governing Apparatus, ofwhich the following i IS a specification.

My invention relates to' improvements in signal governing apparatus, andthe object of my improvement is to provide mechanism foroperating saidapparatus in a predetermined timing ofsuccessive actuations andintervals, manually, incorporating with said mechanism power-relayingmeans for adding effective power impulses in the said actuations, withautomatic resetting of the mechclaimedwithout departing from the spiritoil. theinvention; i

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an elevation of my improved mechanismoperatively con nected to a whistle signal, and Fig. 2 ,is an elevation,in partial section, of parts thereof, taken at an'angle of ninetydegrees to said Fig, 1. Fig; 3 'is an enlarged and longitudinallysectioned view of the power cylinder withmovable enclosed elements inelevation, and parts broken away.

Likenumerals of reference designate like 1 parts therein. 1 i

As in my previously filed applioatio above, this invention 1sparticularly appropriated for actuating the whistle 1 of a locomotive ina predetermined timing of act-uations and their intervals while givingan audible signal in approaching a highway crossing. This signal maycomprise any desired number oi such actuations and timing, but, theembodiment shown illustrates means for giving four successive blasts ofthe whistle under the accepted code, wherein this signal comprises a twosecond blast,

an interval of one second, another. two second blast, a one secondinterval, a one second blast, a one second interval, and a final onesecond blast.

My device is capable of being set for automatic actuation and resetting,by a single manual action of the engineenso that his attention is notdiverted from other neces sary 0r simultaneous duties, and thus thewhistle signal may be given in the prescribed manner without anydeviation or irregu larity. 1

Furthermore, the incorporation with this dev ce of a power-relayingmeans, renders the manual power required for the initial action verylight, not burdensome, while the slgnal is by the intervention of saidpower: re aylng means actuated positively, quickly and strongly.

Referring now to the drawings, the numeral 29 denotes a springbarrelcontaining a spiral springBl, one end connected thereto and the otherend of the spring being secured to a rock-shaft 20 mounted centrally inand projecting from said barrel. The

barrel 29. lSfiXGCl rigidly on the lower end of a hanger 27. One end ofthe shaft 20 extends beyond the barrel and has a cranln connectlon witha plungerin a dash-pot 30,

said crank-connection and plunger not being shown, On the other end ofsaid shaft is fixed adisk 19, and a cord 25 has one end secured on thecircumference of said disk to wind partially around it, and hasaterminal pull-handle 26 for the-use of the engineer.

.On the opposite part of the circumferential edge of said disk arespaced projections 24, 23, 22 and 21, whose marginal lengths .as alsothe lengths of their intervals are such as to correspond relatively tothe successive and differential timing of whistle blasts and intervalsabove described.

The numeral 11 denotes a fixed arm eX- tending from the hanger 27horizontally and isbii'urcated at its outer end. A verticallydisposedlever 13 is medially pivoted on a pintle 14 fixed across saidbifurcations. A tappet or finger 17 is pivoted at 16 on the lower end ofsaid lever to project at a right angle therefrom toward and in the planeof saiddisk 19, and hasan anti-friction or traveler wheel or roller 18pivotally mountedon its outer end to travel upon the circumferentialedge of the disk. The other end. of the finger 17 engages a shoulder 42on said lever to limit its movement in one direction.

The numeral 32 denotes a closed lend cylinder supported by means of abracket on said hanger 27. The cylinderis divided by. means of aplurality of centrally orificed partitions into several chambers, and animperforate piston 33 is slidably fitted within the left-hand .chamberon a piston-rod 9. The outwardly-projecting end of said rod is threadedto receive adjustable nuts 12 spaced to seat an orificed finger 8,thelatter being'terminally engaged in the fork of an arm 7 fixed on ashaft 6 which also carries a shorter arm and a looped end arm 10. Aconnecting-rod i (or a flexible cord) may be connected between the outerend of the shorter arm 5 and the upper end of the trip arm 3 whichshifts the valve-stem 2 of the whistle 1.

Referring to said Fig. 3, the piston-rod 9 is extended to the right ofthe piston 33 to traverse one orificed bearing in a partition ofsaidcylinder, and carries a valve-head 38 normally kept upon its'seat 37 inanother spaced orificed partition by reactive resilient traction of acoiled spring 39. A pipe'15, leading to a source of fluid supply underpressure not shown, such as compressed air, communicates through anopening in the wall of said cylinder with thechamber cut off to the leftby said partition and valveseat 37 A by-pass lOleads from the chamher tothe right of the partition 37 to the piston-chamber, Anotherorificedpartition I with valve-seat further divides'the cylinder-intotwo more chambers, that is, the last-mentioned one to the right of thepartition 37 and a-nother to the rightof said'par tition 35. Thislast-mentioned chamber has communication with the atmosphere by way ofan exhaust-port 4:1; The rod'9 projects through the valve-seat 37, andis terminally contacted by an end of an alined reciprocatory rod 34,being the stem onwhich another valve-head 36 is mounted-,'said stemmoving through the valve-seat35, as also through an orifice in theadjacent cylinder head and'being terminally contacted by-the adjacentface of the upper end of said lever 13} Y Operation, The engineer hasonlyto pull downwardly quickly and sharply the cord 25 by means of saidhandle 26,'which rocks the disk 19 in the direction indicated by thearrow, the projections 21 to 24: in turn rocking upwardly the finger-17without actuating the lever '13. When the cord 25 is released, thespring 31 is caused to react to return the disk to its initial position,and the p'rojections 2% to 21 successively cause the finger 17 by reasonof its engagement with said shoulder 42 to rock the lever 13, causingalso the upper end of the lever to push to the left the valvestem 34: toclose the valve-head 36 against its seat 35. The other end of the stemsimultaneously pushes the rod 9 to the left causing the valve-head 38 tobe opened away from its seat 37. As compressed air constantly fills thechamber in communication with said pipe 15,.the air traverses the open.valve-seat to enter the chamber to the right, moving thence through theby-pass 410 into the chamber where it pushes the piston 33 to the left,thus by i'neans of the connections above described, operating thewhistle 1.

As each projection on the disk rel vases the finger 17, the tensionedspring- 39 in said cylinder is permitted to react to move the rod 9' andseat the valve-head 38 while opening the valve 36. The return of thepiston to its initial position thus occasioned forces air through thebypass and the open valve seat 35 to be exhausted through the port ll.

it will be observed that the actuation is sharp and immediate, andentirely automatic after release of the cord 25 by the engineer, sothat'the whistle blasts are clear and definitely terminated, thedurations respectively of the blasts and of their intervals beingexactly as predetermined. \Vhen the en gineer desires to cause single orother kinds of signals, this may be effected by pulling downwardlymanually the looped arm 10, rocking the arm 3 and operating the whistle.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Lettrolled device whose movable elements are under compulsion of anauxiliary source of power, an intermediate movable body actuable by saidreaction-device only while the latter is in reaction after an initialmanual actuation and release to operate said valvecontrolled device toinitiate a pomardmpulsc from said auxiliary source of power in actuationof the operative connections and said signal, said reaction-device beingshaped to move said body at intervals, and said re actioimlevice alsobeing shaped to prolong each of said actuations and intervals in apredetermined duration.

3. In combination, a signal, a manually movable tensioningreaction-device, and self-- setting and resetting tractioil-meansoperated between successive intervals by said rcaction-device, and inoperative connection with said signal. said traction-means including apower-relaying means operable in communicating power impulses to theoperative connections at each. of said actuations of the traction-meansby said reaction-means.

4. In combination, a signal, a manuallyoperable rock-body havingtensioning means adapted to return the rock-body to initial position.after operation and release, said cylinder containing fluid-receivingand fluidexhausting chambers, the former under constant communicationWith a source of fluid 20 supply under pressure, valve-controlled portsin said chambers, valves controlling said ports operable by saidpiston-rod and by said lever alternately in setting and resetting, topermit said source of fluid power 25 to relay power impulses to saidpiston-rod and piston at each action of said lever, andtensioning-ineans operable on the valves to cause re-setting thereof,after actuation by said reaction rock-body projections of said 30 leverand the release of the lever therefrom. Signed at Waterloo, Iowa, this8th day of Nov., 1921.

ALBERTO I. WOUDRING.

